OPA Awarded a Greater Columbus Arts Council BOOST Grant

Funding will provide new audio/visual equipment

The Ohio Poetry Association (OPA) is pleased to announce it has been awarded a BOOST grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. The BOOST program is designed to help arts and cultural organizations with capacity building.

A total of $2,992 will be provided to OPA for the purchase of audio/visual equipment. The organization, its poets, and audiences will have the means to streamline poetry recording processes, improve the audience experience through better sound and image, and present poetry at both indoor and outdoor public venues, such as auditoriums, farmer’s markets, and festivals, especially where this equipment is not readily available.

“The support of the Greater Columbus Arts Council will afford OPA the means to expand its reach in the virtual community and provide our members the resources to hone their craft and ability to perform for an audience,” said OPA President Chuck Salmons. “This technology will help OPA build capacity for years to come.”

OPA will also be able to make audio recordings of its members and other guest poets for submission to contests and prospective venues. Basic video recordings of OPA’s public performances and workshops can be used for archival, demo, and marketing purposes. And attendees can take part in an educational workshop series (The Bootleg MFA), which equips poets with the tools and knowledge to maneuver the ever-growing technological aspects of poetic artistry.

This is the second grant awarded to OPA by the Greater Columbus Arts Council in 2019. Earlier this year, OPA received funding for its weekend-long National Poetry Month celebration featuring Angie Estes and Mark Irwin.

The Ohio Poetry Association is extremely grateful to the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the City of Columbus, and Franklin County for its generous support. For more information about the Greater Columbus Arts Council, visit its website at www.gcac.org.

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